Fabrication and Performance of Low-Fouling UF Membranes for the Treatment of Isolated Soy Protein Solutions

Esperanza M. Garcia-Castello, Antonio D. Rodriguez-Lopez, Sergio Barredo-Damas, Alicia Iborra-Clar, Jairo Pascual-Garrido and Maria Isabel Iborra-Clar
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Esperanza M. Garcia-Castello: Institute of Food Engineering for Development (IIAD), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Antonio D. Rodriguez-Lopez: Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Sergio Barredo-Damas: Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Alicia Iborra-Clar: Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Jairo Pascual-Garrido: Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Maria Isabel Iborra-Clar: Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera, 46022 Valencia, Spain

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 24, 1-16

Abstract: Consumers are becoming more conscious about the need to include functional and nutritional foods in their diet. This has increased the demand for food extracts rich in proteins and peptides with physiological effects that are used within the food and pharmaceutical industries. Among these protein extracts, soy protein and its derivatives are highlighted. Isolated soy protein (ISP) presents a protein content of at least 90%. Wastewaters generated during the production process contain small proteins (8–50 kDa), and it would be desirable to find a recovery treatment for these compounds. Ultrafiltration membranes (UF) are used for the fractionation and concentration of protein solutions. By the appropriate selection of the membrane pore size, larger soy proteins are retained and concentrated while carbohydrates and minerals are mostly recovered in the permeate. The accumulation and concentration of macromolecules in the proximity of the membrane surface generates one of the most important limitations inherent to the membrane technologies. In this work, three UF membranes based on polyethersulfone (PES) were fabricated. In two of them, polyethylene glycol (PEG) was added in their formulation to be used as a fouling prevention. The membrane fouling was evaluated by the study of flux decline models based on Hermia’s mechanisms.

Keywords: ultrafiltration; isolated soy protein; membrane fouling; fouling mechanism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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